Side Quests
by shadowkat83
Summary: Summary: A collection of one-shots that take place during and after my main story Daughter of Ice. Mostly the rest of the dungeons and various quests. Up first Cindy's Quest for the headlights, and the Menace Boss, Manxom. I'm doing quite a few of the collections to add more depth to Eden and her relationship with Gladio, Noctis, and the others. Plus, it helps me flush out her char
1. Crestholm Channels

** Summary: **A collection of one-shots that take place during and after my main story Daughter of Ice. Mostly the rest of the dungeons and various quests. Up first Cindy's Quest for the headlights, and the Menace Boss, Manxom. I'm doing quite a few of the collections to add more depth to Eden and her relationship with Gladio, Noctis, and the others. Plus, it helps me flush out her character more.

Chapter 1 –Crestholm Channels

After speaking to Cindy about some headlights that would help keep the Regalia safe from the daemons, Eden, Noctis, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio drove towards the Crown City in search of Crestholm Channels.

After visiting Meldacio at Dave's insistence, Noctis met and spoke to Ezma who handed over an old heavy key. She told them that it was a special key to a set of secret dungeons under Lucis. One of which is located deep within Crestholm Channels.

They made their way past the Imperial Troopers at the city entrance, Noctis led his friends towards a fenced of an area that led to a sewer entrance. Climbing down the ladder, the group of five found themselves in the sewers underneath the city.

"Alright, those headlights are probably going to be the easiest to find and then that dungeon door," Ignis instructed, looking around the area.

"Are we seriously going to be searching a sewer for these?" Prompto whined, "This is totally going to suck!"

Eden laughed, "Just try to avoid the water as much as you can." She turned to Ignis then, "By the way, there's a trick to revealing that dungeon entrance. You need to find the five switches first in order to open the door to the first chamber."

Ignis turned to her with a frown, "First chamber?"

She nodded, "Yes, rumor has it that Jormungand is deep in the channels, and you have to get past it to find the door."

"Well now, this is going to be interesting," Gladio rumbled, from his position at Eden's side.

"Let's get this over with," Noctis muttered, before choosing a direction, the rest of his retinue behind him. Taking the left path and up a short set of stairs leads to a control panel.

"Oh, that must be the switch you were talking about," Prompto said looking over at Eden.

The Glaive nodded, "This is the first one. There are others just like it that we need to find, as well."

"Right so finding those is a priority next to those headlights," Ignis instructed.

Nodding, Noctis hit the switch continuing on down the same path; taking out the daemons that covered the area. Making their way through the maze of sewers, the group followed the upper path first, before deciding to follow the current down to the lower levels. Unfortunately, a Nagarani was waiting for them. Lucky for them, the serpent was weak to lightning attacks, which Noctis had thankfully prepared beforehand.

Once the spell wore off the boss was much easier to take down, but unfortunately, Noctis was hit by a spell that turned him into a toad temporarily. Once it was defeated, they made their way towards a chamber with a grated floor where the headlights were waiting for them.

"Now all that's left is the delivery," Ignis noted as he picked up the box.

"Can't wait to see the look on her face," Prompto sighed.

"Not so fast, lover boy," Gladio teased, "we're not done here, yet."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Prompto's tone was disappointed, "More daemons to bash first."

"Right," Noctis nodded, once more following the tunnels, "Back to it."

After finding the rest of the needed switches, a loud CLANG echoed through the dungeon. "Guess that's all of them," Noct remarked.

Eden nodded, "The way through should be unlocked now."

"So, first we take care of Jormungand, then the Menace Ezma told us about at Meldacio?"

"Yep," Eden turned to Ignis with a determined look, "Let's try to have a plan for him before we enter his chamber, we'll definitely be needing it."

"Good idea," Ignis nodded, "as we make our way there, why don't you tell me all you know about this creature and we'll go from there?" Nodding Eden started to tell him all that she had heard about the serpent-like dragon waiting for them as they continued on towards their destination. Only to pause at a long ladder.

Prompto was the first to speak, "Are you kidding me?"

Gladio moved closer to the ladder, coaxing Noctis and Eden up first, "Don't look down."

Noctis headed up first, once on the next ledge he turned and coaxed Prompto to climb next, knowing that the blonde's fear of heights might get the better of him. " C' mon Prom, you head up next. Just keep your eyes on me."

Swallowing hard, Prompto obeyed, slowly climbing the ladder. Eden followed right behind him, then Ignis and last Gladio. Once upon the ledge with Noctis, they looked around only to see a small ledge leading to a rusty pipe that extended the tunnel.

"No place for a slip-up," Gladio muttered as Noct cautiously approached the edge.

The prince nodded and stepped carefully along the narrow path, Prompto once more following after him. Upon reaching the other side, Noct carefully approached the pipe and tested it with his weight, "Should hold, but watch your footing," he cautioned. Slowly and with careful movements, he made his way across the divide.

"Man, if monsters were to jump us now..."Gladio let the sentence trail off.

Ignis filled in the rest of his thought, "We'd be easy prey."

Prompto groaned, "Why even say that?!"

"Can we please focus on the task at hand?" Noctis snapped, just as his foot slipped.

A yell, "Careful," but he managed to thankfully regain his footing. Eden turned to the boys and rebuked, "no more distracting him!"

Nodding they guys remained silent, finally after what seemed like forever, Noctis made it safely across. Eden frowned as she approached the pipe, "Sure I can't just warp across? I think I can make it..."

Gladio turned to her and growled out, "don't even think about it! What if you miss?"

She shuddered, looking over at the long drop down, "yeah..." She then turned to look apologetically at her boyfriend, "Sorry..."

Gladio shook his head, "forget it. Just follow Noct."

Nodding Eden made her way across, turning back to coax Prompto across after her. "Just keep moving and keep your eyes on me and Noct. You'll be across in no time."

"Easy for you to say," he muttered under his breath. But he nevertheless made it across without a hassle. Once everyone was across, they continued along through the maze of sewers until the reached a large green door with a long watery drop.

Ignis turned to the others, "This is it, the first creature awaits us at the bottom. But before we go any further we need a plan of attack." Ignis looked to Eden before continuing, "According to our info; Ice, swords, and daggers will do the most damage. So here's what we do, Eden and Noct will have an Ice spell ready. Noct if you can, we'll each need a flask, while Eden can use her magic. Prompto will cover us with Gladio helping Noct and I deal the most damage. Eden will use her spells and warping to blitz the monster, hopefully keeping it off guard.

"We'll need to keep Ether's on hand, to make sure neither of them goes into stasis while in the middle of battle." Ignis finished laying out his idea before looking at each of his friends, "Everyone prepared?"

Receiving nods around, Noctis made his way to the open door and followed the water into a large open area. Once everyone's feet touched the murky water the room rumbled and a large horned serpent-like dragon made itself known. "Just like we planned, and watch out for elemental attacks," Ignis warned as the creature made to attack.

The entourage followed the plan, making adjustments as the dragon used fire streams and other fire attacks on the friends. Eden stayed back due to her major weakness to fire, especially once the beast started to set itself on fire to avoid taking too much damage from the other attacks. Using a recently acquired technique, Ignis did manage to poison their foe, doing a significant amount of continuous damage. Seeing an opening Eden quickly conjured a Blizzara spell and tossed it at the dragon-like boss, letting the others know about the incoming spell beforehand. Seeing how effective the spell was, the friends got out of firing range and tossed their flasks at the creature as well.

By now the Jormungand was heavily damaged, and Ignis called out, "one last push should suffice." Nodding, everyone went in with their strongest hit and finally, Jormungand went down. Once they were sure it was dead, Ignis went around to each member checking for injuries. Prompto was uninjured, Gladio only needed a potion for the few burns he managed to acquire, Eden had already downed an Ether that her boyfriend had provided, and Noctis was in the middle of downing an Elixir to take care of the burns and help speed up his magic recovery. Once everyone was healed up, Ignis turned to Eden, "So where is this door that we are supposed to locate next?"

Eden moved past the are that Jormungand had emerged from and led them over towards a long ladder, "here," she pointed, "we need to follow it down and through a tunnel. The main entrance is there."

"Alright, let's get moving," Gladio urged them towards the ladder. "The sooner we take it out the sooner we can leave this place."

Once they reached the bottom, Noct approached the door and used his newly acquired key to unlock the entrance. Watching as the mechanism turned, lighting up each character one-by-one until it swung open revealing a long dark tunnel. Noctis turned to Eden and asked, "Do you know which one is here?"

Eden frowned, "hmm...I think it was Manxom, at least according to the legends. He's a dragon with an affinity for Ice and a weakness to polearms, I think." She shook her head, "the Bestiary for Legendary Monsters lacks quite a bit of information, unfortunately."

Ignis nodded, "I would assume so, given that they are labeled as mythical creatures."

Prompto frowned, "Sounds like Eden's not gonna be able to use her magic for this one, though."

The Glaive nodded, "Yep, I'm gonna stick to just my spear. Good thing I can wield both swords and spears, huh?"

"Too bad, you can't handle the other elements or Noct could give you a flask," Gladio added, turning his attention towards her.

"Yeah, but it's fine," Eden shook his hidden concern off. "I can just blitz attack 'em." She knew that Gladio was worried about her due to her lack of elemental skills, but it was fine. She'd come to terms with her weaknesses long ago, and they no longer bothered her. Her father was proud of her and her King had reason to keep her at his side.

They entered the dungeon and slowly made their way down towards where their quarry lay, taking out Coral devils, Killer Wasps, and the occasional snakes. Much to their relief, the next cave yielded a fire pit, so the entourage decided to rest up before tackling the rest of the dark cave-like dungeon.

Ignis shook his head as he drank his coffee - Noctis had managed to coax Eden into preparing a meal, giving him the night off from cooking. According to the prince and Gladio, Eden was a pretty decent cook. She said that she picked up a few things from all of the weekend gatherings she had with a few of the other Kingsglaive. Going through their inventory of ingredients, it was decided that she was preparing a curry soup, much to Prompto's delight.

He watched as Eden dragged a rather willing Prompto into helping her cook. The blonde was stirring a pot of simmering liquid as Eden, and surprisingly Noctis, worked on cutting up the rest of the ingredients and spices needed.

Gladio was seated in another camp chair watching the trio cook their meal, occasionally he would glance at the book in his hand before his attention returned to his girlfriend. Ignis watched him carefully, noting the movement of Gladio's free hand, as it moved to the pocket of his open shirt.

He decided to engage the distracted Shield in conversation, "Something on your mind Gladio?"

"Huh?" Gladio turned his attention from watching his girlfriend, over to Ignis. "Oh, just thinking about something," he paused and then admitted, "I was planning on proposing when we got to Galdin Quay before everything went to shit. And with everything that's happened since then, there really hasn't been the time or feeling, ya know?"

Ignis nodded, he thought that that was the case. "Ah, I understand." He looked back over towards the others and then continued, "things have been quite hectic, haven't they?" Ignis hummed in thought for a few moments, before he spoke again, "Maybe you can still propose as you want too..."

"What do you mean?"

"After we finish what we came for here, we plan on heading back to Hammerhead to deliver the headlights to Cindy. I can talk to Noct and maybe we can make a quick pit stop in Galdin Quay so you can have that proposal that you want. It really won't be out of our way too much. Plus, I think Dino wants us to search for another Gem, anyway."

Gladio thought over the idea for a few minutes, "Sounds like it could work, and I know that Noct would love to take some time to go fishing after this."

Ignis nodded, "We all could use a bit of a break after this place and Galdin is one of the best places to go, besides Lestallum or Caem."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll work on how I want to ask her when we get out of here."

Ignis nodded, "But for now, let's enjoy their hard-earned work and this small break." Just as he finished speaking, Eden and the others approached both boys carrying a bowl of hot soup. Prompto handed one to him before heading back to get his own. Noctis handed the other over to Gladio before sitting down next to the Shield to enjoy his own meal. Ignis took a bit of the soup and closed his eyes to order to savor the flavor. Though it was different than how he usually made it, he found the flavors quite enjoyable.

"This is soo good," Prompto groaned in enjoyment. Noctis sitting next to him nodded in agreement. Ignis looked up from his meal to see Prompto already standing up to go get another helping.

Eden grinned, pleased, from her place next to Gladio, "glad you like it. Thanks for the help, by the way."

Prompto nodded, "I'll help you cook anytime you want," the blonde practically chirped the words.

Eden laughed, "I'll hold you to that." The rest of the night passed by peacefully as the friends enjoyed their temporary reprieve. But all too soon they were reminded of their situation and had to head back out.

After battling through more Coral devils and snakes, they came to a fork in the road, "So where do we go from here?" Prompto inquired, turning to Eden.

The Glaive looked at each tunnel carefully, before pointing towards the middle path, "This one. Something tells me that what we seek is this way."

Noctis nodded, "Then that's the way we go." As it turns out Eden's instinct was correct as the group headed even deeper into the dark caves. Until they came to an entrance where a roar let them know that their quarry awaited them. Noctis started off the battle by tossing a lightning-filled flask at the boss, doing some damage, but not enough to put it down quite yet. Eden grabbed her **Storm Lance **went on the attack, Ignis following her movements with his own **Storm Lance**, it really had been a good investment to pick up those elemental weapons when they were at the Taelpar Outpost.

Eden turned to Gladio and yelled, "Gladdy, you still have the **Thunderbolt** that you found near the tomb in Malamam Thicket?'

Gladio nodded, "Good idea." A flash of light and the Shield pulled out the needed sword, before once more resuming his attack on the dragon, this time his sword strikes were doing more damage. But it wasn't quite enough, that is until Noctis unleashed his collection of Royal Arms. Manxom quickly fell under the assault of the many weapons, but Noctis didn't fare much better. Wielding the Arms came with a price, but an Elixir negated most of the damage he took from the backlash of the Royal Arms.

Finally after each of the companions dealt a finishing blow the dragon fell to the floor dead. "Whoo-hoo, we're alive! Let's celebrate by eating something dead," Prompto cheered. Everyone laughed at his antics before turning to head out of the dungeon and made their way to Hammerhead to hand over the headlights to Cindy.

Upon arriving at Hammerhead Garage, Noctis and the other headed for Cindy, who was quite happy to see them back safe and sound. "There y'all are! Well, did ya find 'em?"

Noctis nodded, "Yep, got them right here."

Cindy sighed in relief, "You do? Thank the Stars. Whether you keep usin' them is up to you, but give them a test run for me, will ya?"

Ignis nodded, "What exactly is special about this particular headlights?"

"The bulbs pack a punch. The light they shine will have the daemons headin' for these hills."

"Whoa, that's awesome!" Prompto remarked, "Kinda wish there were more of those around."

"I know, woulda been nice if everyone had 'em before the city got walled off."

"Maybe once we take back the Crown City, we can see if there are any around, still?"

Noctis nodded, "Wouldn't hurt to look."

Cindy nodded, "just give me a few to get these babies installed and you'll be on your way."

"Noct, might I have a word?" Ignis inquired, catching the Prince's attention.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"With our recent endeavor finished, might I suggest we head down to Galdin for a bit of a break. I think we could all use it."

"Sounds fine," Noctis nodded. "I could do with some fishing time."

Ignis nodded, "Splendid, I'll let the others know."

** A/N: **And that is it for this one. BTW, I'll be writing up that proposal scene in another collection called _Stolen Moments, _if anyone is interested. Till next time.


	2. Chapter 2 Rock of Ravatough

**Chapter Summary: **With the Rock of Ravatogh towering in front of them, Noctis and the others decide to brave the Volcano to retrieve the Royal Arm; Mace of the Fierce. Along the way, Prompto hopes to be able to take a picture of the active volcano as Vyv had asked them last time they visited Lestallum.

Word count: 2251

Chapter 2 – Rock of Ravatogh

Ignis pulled the Regalia into the Verinas Mart Parking spot at the base of the Rock of Ravatogh. "We should stock up on supplies before we head up the mountain," he suggested as everyone exited the car. He then headed for the mart with Eden and Prompto following him, while Noctis and Gladio worked on planning out their route.

Eden frowned as she looked at the items listed on the menu at the small food stand outside the mart. Ignis turned to her with an inquisitive look, "Is something the matter?"

She shook her head, "Not really, just that I'm trying to figure out a way to make the heat of the climb a bit more bearable; I and volcanoes don't mix."

Ignis nodded, "Understandable. I think I read about certain foods that actually may reduce the effects of the fire and heat. It may be something more to look into."

She nodded, "Yeah, heard that too." She frowned again, this time in thought. "Noct's magic may be the reason for that, actually. It may activate something in the food itself to give it those properties, much like the curatives and things like Smelling Salts."

"It's something to look into, at least."

While going through the stock of items, Ignis found a recipe book, inside was the recipe for Sweet Saltwater Crustacean Curry. Outside Eden had decided to try one of the offered meals to see if that indeed offered the relief she needs for the up-incoming hike. She ordered the Tender Bird Fritters off the menu, "Mm, not bad. A little on the spicy side, but really good."

She choked back a gasp as she felt Noctis' magic react to the food. She had a feeling that the food now offered the fire protection she needed. As long as they avoided the heat and lava, she should be able to go with them on this endeavor.

Once everyone was ready and a course plotted out, they headed for the base of the mountain. Noctis took lead on the path and started the long climb to the mountain's summit. "This is definitely an uphill climb," Eden muttered staring up at the steep uphill path ahead of them.

Prompto nodded in agreement, "Kinda looks insurmountable to me." He then turned towards Noctis, "so we're getting that picture for Vyv and that...what was it? Wyvern wing for Sania, right?"

Gladio nodded, "Yep."

Noctis looked determinedly ahead, "alright then, let's get this done." As they made their way up the mountain they ran into the occasional Spiracorn and scorpion, nothing too difficult. Choosing to take the right path up the mountain, seeing as how the left path was blocked further up.

Taking the right path also lead the group to some Kettier Ginger, "That's it!" Ignis called as he spotted the herb.

Eden grinned and turned towards him, "What's up Iggy?"

Ignis smirked back, "I've come up with a new recipe."

Gladio joined in then, "I could taste test for ya." Though all joking was put aside as the next part of their accent was a really tough uphill climb. Moving carefully and pausing at the many boulders that lined the edges of the mountain, they slowly made the steep climb. It wasn't until they were past that did they notice that the temperature had started rising.

"What's up with this heat?" Eden moaned, looking at the path ahead. She could see parts of the path where there was lava bubbling just under the surface of the rock. She was so glad that she ate that meal before attempting this climb. She could feel the magic coursing through her body, making enduring the rising temperatures easier.

Prompto spoke up hesitantly, "So what are the chances of the volcano exploding while we're climbing it?"

Gladio gave him a look and answered, "Bright side, you won't suffer long if it does."

Prompto gave him a look back, "Very comforting," he muttered sarcastically.

"Look alive, we have company," Ignis called spotting a group of Spiracorn and scorpions fighting up ahead. "Shouldn't be too much trouble," he analyzed.

Eden shrugged, "Just use a sword or elemancy. Both should do the trick."

"Let's take care of em quick," Gladio added, pulling out his Greatsword and taking on one of the approaching scorpions. The others quickly joined the fray and soon they were all taken care of, thankfully without incident, before reaching another crossroads. Looking back at Eden Noctis called, "Which way?"

She sighed heavily, "Right path leads to the picture Vyv needs, but the left leads to the Wyvern and a haven."

Noctis nodded, "so we're gonna have to backtrack."

She nodded, looking at the hot spots ahead thoughtfully, "Think it would be safe to freeze us a path?"

Ignis immediately shook his head, "Better not chance it."

She nodded in reluctant agreement, "Yea..." Decision made, they headed up the right path walking carefully around the lava spots on the surface of the path. A loud noise overhead alerted them to more beasts. "Thunderoc," Eden called, "weak to swords, pole-arms, and fire elemancy."

Noctis looked over at her with a grin, "Wanna knock em out of the sky?"

She grinned back, "You know it!" And drawing her sword, she aimed carefully at one of the circling birds and threw it, immediately following afterward; Noctis on her heels attacking another one of the birds. Both creatures landed on the ground and were finished off by Gladio, Prompto, or Ignis. They kept up this strategy until the last Thunderoc was knocked out of the sky. Once the enemies were defeated the party continued on their present course until the waterfall of lava was finally in sight.

"Now this is scenery," Gladio muttered in awe. Prompto nodded and grabbed his camera out of the Armiger and headed closer to take his picture. Once Prompto was done, they turned to backtrack and head up the other path to finish Sania's errand and hopefully make use of that haven Eden mentioned. It wasn't until they were back at the crossroads that they spotted their target for Sania's errand as well as a few more Thunderoc.

Noctis called out, "You guys take the Wyvern, and Eden and I will handle the Thunderoc." Nodding the group split up to take on their respective targets. After a few minutes of fighting the last creature finally fell and Noctis put on of the fallen Wyvern wings into his Armiger to hand into Sania once they reached the base of the volcano. "Now what?"

Eden thought for a moment, "Umm...I think there might be a Royal Arm at the peak, past Zu's nest."

Ignis turned to her that name, "Zu? The large bird we saw in Galdin?"

She nodded, "Yep, though he only returns at nightfall, so we'll be safe until the sun goes down."

Ignis turned to look at the suns position, judging their time, "Best make haste then, I at least want to reach the haven before the sun sets." Nodding the comrades once more headed further up the mountain. Noctis paused once he reached the cliff face and looked up, "Guess we climb here?"

He moved towards the towering rock wall and carefully place his hands and feet onto some ledges and began the climb, "Whatever you do don't look down," he cautioned. Once they reached the top of the cliffs, Eden led them over to the edge and pointed down, "There it is."

Prompto moved closer to where she was standing and looked down, "Wow..." Down in the deep valley were scattered piles of broken eggs and grass made nests. Eden then pointed to two paths, "the left one leads back down, the right one leads to the tomb," she turned to address Ignis next and pointed straight up their current path, "the haven is at the top."

Ignis nodded and turned towards Noctis, "Let's make for the haven first. We can make for the tomb in the morning."

The prince nodded, "Sounds like a plan." A few minutes later found the party at the aforementioned haven, just as the sun started to set.

Prompto whistled appreciatively at the offered view and pulled out his camera to snap a couple of pictures, while Gladio got the tents set up and Ignis set about making dinner. Eden made her way to Prompto's side and dropped to sit down on the edge to watch the sunset, Noctis at her side, "Hell of a view," her friend commented.

"One of the best," she answered back. Eden felt her boyfriends arms wrap around her as Gladio took a seat behind her to also watch the sunset. "If you think this is something," she started, "wait until sunrise."

Once they ate dinner, they called it a night. But for some reason, Eden couldn't sleep, so she carefully crawled out of the tent and moved towards the edge of the haven again. She arrived just in time as a dark shadow passed overhead, signaling Zu's arrival. She watched as the large bird landed in the deep valley below and settle in for the night.

"Hell of a sight," a deep familiar voice commented. Eden turned to look over her shoulder as Gladio approached. The Shield dropping down to sit next to her, "Can't sleep?" he asked concerned.

Eden nodded, "Yea...you think I would after that climb we made..."

Gladio looked over at her, concern in his amber eyes, "Got something on your mind?"

She frowned in thought, "Don't think so. Just restless I guess."

Gladio nodded, before moving in closer and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She sighed sinking into the comforting embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. The pair sat like that for a while, just enjoying the silence the night offered. It wasn't long until Gladio felt Eden place more of her weight into his side, that he looked over and saw that she was now fast asleep. Moving to stand, Gladio picked his girlfriend up into his arms and made his way back into the tent, laying her down upon her sleeping bag.

The next morning the friends broke up camp and headed down the train into the nest of the recently departed Zu. Eden led them to the right path and up another steep climb to the entrance of the tomb. Once inside the tomb she moved forwards to read the inscription, "_A king was gentle before his people but an ogre on the battlefield. This was his mace._*" She stood back and watched as Noctis added the Mace of the Fierce to his arsenal. "Now we head back down the volcano and back to Sania."

Ignis turned towards here, "You said you knew a quick way down?"

Eden grinned mischievously, "This way," she turned and headed back the way they came and this time led them to the left path. She pointed down the steep slope, "Who's first?" She looked back over at the others and saw a variety of expressions cross their features. She rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'll go," and before Gladio could protest she moved forwards and slid down the tunnel, coming out at the first crossroads at the beginning of their trek. She turned just in time to see the rest of her friends follow after her. "See, that wasn't too bad," she teased.

"That was terrifying!" Prompto hollered, once they reached the entrance.

Eden laughed, not sorry in the least, "Really, I enjoyed the ride," she teased.

Prompto rolled his eyes, "you would," he muttered. She laughed again, before making her way towards the mart where Sania was waiting.

Back on the road again, Ignis turned the Regalia onto the highway that would lead them to Lestallum and Vyv. After a few hours of driving, Ignis finally pulled into the Cornix station in Lestallum, where Prompto and Noctis immediately headed for the outlook to show Vyv the pictures.

The CEO of Meteor Publishing was excited to see them, "You're back, and alive! Did you get it?"

Prompto grinned and handed him the picture, "Did we ever."

Vyv clapped his hand upon the sight of the picture, "ah, now this is something special. Lighting, framing, everything is perfect, despite the hazards. You've to get the right stuff."

Prompto blushed at the compliment, "Thanks."

"You want more work, don't hesitate to ask."

The gunman looked over at his best friend, "how about it Noct?"

Noctis shook his head with a grin and turned back to the waiting Vyv, "Have another quest?"

"Actually yeah, I do." Vyv nodded, "I need a photo of the Crown City. My readers are demanding it."

"Sure," Noctis nodded, that one should be easy enough to get. Leaving the CEO behind, Noctis looked over to Prompto who was still staring at the wad of cash that Vyv had given him for the picture. "Gonna stare at it all day?" He teased his best friend.

"Dude, he paid me for the picture," the blonde rebutted, still in shock.

Noctis laughed, "and think, he wants more pictures, too."

Prompto shook his head, "Dude..."

***Taken from Final Fantasy Wiki**


	3. Chapter 3 Daurell Caverns

Side Quests

**Summary**: Daurell Caverns, this chapter also takes place during the Menace Sleeps Beneath Lucius series of Quests. There will be a lot of action and some Hurt!Eden, plus she reveals the form change her mother's line blessed her with. Enjoy!

**Word Count**: 3442

Daurell Caverns

Traveling through Duscae the party arrived at the Taelpar Rest Area, stopping there to get their bearings and check on their supplies, before attempting to tackle the rumored Daurell Caverns nearby. According to the map, Daurell Caverns read: _Series of caves situated in the once resource-rich Schier Heights. The area's fertile soil and natural springs coupled with the warmth of the Meteor made for an ideal environment in which crops thrived and agriculture boomed. Unfortunately, the great war had a considerably deleterious impact on the region. The kingdom used the high ground as the strategic base of operations, but the lack of ventilation in the caves made the empire's toxic weaponry all the more effective. Poison seeped into the earth, tainting the soil and turning the land completely infertile. Even veteran hunters hesitate to explore the caverns, now overrun with daemons. The only folks who venture inside are the most foolhardy of fishermen, led there by rumors of a reservoir deep underground that acts as home to some real whoppers.*_

After making sure that they were equipped to handle the Caverns, Noctis and the other's made they way to Schier Heights, where they boarded a Chocobo to take to the dungeon entrance.

"So this is one of those Menace monsters, right?" Prompto inquired.

Eden nodded, "Yeah. According to Ezma, it's the Mahanaga that sleeps in the lowest parts of the Caverns."

"She gives you any other information about this beast?" Ignis asked as they paused at the Cavern entrance to plan out their next moves.

Eden frowned in thought, "Umm...It's said to be weak to swords, shields and lightning; much like the rest of her kin." She paused, "oh! Also to watch out for status effects; her breath can either petrify or curse you, I don't know which though."

"So first we take out the creatures in the upper caverns then we go after the beast in the lower depths?" Gladio checked, looking around the rest of the group.

Ignis nodded, "sounds like a plan." He then turned towards Eden again, "anything else?"

She nodded, "yeah, there's a haven and a fishing spot we can rest at midway through the upper levels."

Noctis perked up at that, "Fishing? Wonder what I could catch?"

Eden shrugged, "Don't know, you'll have to see for yourself."

"Right, guess it's time to get this done," Noctis muttered, turning towards the dark entrance.

After traveling a few feet, the familiar sounds of spawning daemons echoed around them, Eden called out in warning, "Necromancers!"

"On your guard," Ignis called, as the friends turned to confront their first obstacle in this dungeon.

The group split off into three's to take on the two daemons in their way. "Make sure to use spears and Ice Magic when you can," Eden called, from where she was standing near Prompto. After getting replies from the boys she turned her attention to the Daemon they were facing. Grinning over at the blonde gunman she called, "Got my back?"

"You know it!" He answered with a grin, taking a shot at the nearby daemon. She grinned back and conjured up an Ice spell to toss when she had an opening.

Soon enough the first batch of daemons was taken care of and the comrades continued their trek through the caverns. They came to a stop at a low bridge, "Sure we can pass through?" Eden asked, looking at the crumbling wall warily.

"Nothing to do but push forward," Gladio remarked.

Prompto grinned at him, "Sure you can make it, big guy?"

Eden giggled at the expression on Gladio's face before she followed the prince through the short tunnel. Only to find a group of flans waiting on the other side. "Let's clean 'em up quick," she called, tossing a quick ice spell at the group of daemons. The magic hit doing more damage than both Gladio's sword and Prompto's guns.

_ "_Nice one!" Prompto cheered as the remains of the Flans disappeared back into the shadows. Eden grinned back, before returning her attention to the path ahead. After battling more Necromancers and the odd Ronin they came to a part of the dungeon with sunlight streaming through a small opening in the ceiling and located at the top of the ledge was a ladder suspended from some rusty scaffolding.

"Not gonna run into many daemons with the sun shining through like this. Right guys?" Prompto asked nervously.

"We hope," Eden muttered, as they pushed ever onward. Only to pause at a standing pool of water that was oddly colored. "Careful of the water, it is quite toxic, don't want to get poisoned," she cautioned, looking for a safe path around the newest roadblock.

Gladio shook his head in exasperation, "It's just one thing after another." He turned to his fiance then, "so how much further do you think we have to go?"

She frowned, "Not quite sure...there weren't any maps."

Ignis sighed, "Guess we have no choice but to push onward, then."

Nodding they continued on their present course before Eden took them up a short path off to the right, that led to the fishing spot she mentioned earlier.

Noctis grinned, "It's showtime!" He then headed up the dock and cast his line. The rest of the group settled down to enjoy their break and to plan out their next moves, using Eden's limited knowledge of the Caverns.

"Yes!" the prince hollered, as he started to reel in the fish on his line. "Oh, this thing's heavy." Gladio immediately moved forward to help him haul his catch out of the pond. With his Shield's help, Noctis pulled out a huge catfish; dragging its pale wriggling body onto the dock.

Eden's eyes went wide at the sight, "Wow, a lurking catfish."

Noctis turned to her, "Lurking Catfish?"

The mage nodded, "Yep, only found in caves; like the Dace."

Noctis turned back towards the water with a thoughtful expression, "Huh," quickly going through his lures, the prince pulled out an Abyss Worm and attached it to the end of his line. "Alright then, one Cave Dace coming up."

Eden laughed, apparently she had given him a challenge. Gladio's chuckle let her know that he agreed with her thinking.

After managing to catch the Cave Dace, the party returned to the main path to continue their trek through the rest of the caverns. They made their way up another path that leads to the scaffolding that they saw from earlier. "Let's lower the ladder, just in case," Ignis suggested.

Noctis made his way forwards and did just that before following the scaffolding towards a narrow ledge. Looking back at a very nervous Prompto, "just like the last few times, right Prom?"

The gunman nodded, and carefully followed after his best friend, with Eden, Gladio and Ignis right behind him. "Shouldn't be too much farther," the mage called out. As if to prove her right as soon as they reached the other side an Iron Giant and a Necromancer spawned. "we go through them and upon that ledge should be the door we're looking for," she called out in encouragement.

"Let's do this!" Noctis called, jumping down onto the lower level, quickly followed by his comrades.

"Heads up!" Eden called in warning as she tossed the Ice spell she quickly crafted at the Necromancer, while Gladio and Noctis went after the Iron Giant.

"Watch your back," the Shield called as he blocked a sword swipe from his opponent. Eden spotted the ladder at the ledge above them and quickly called out to Ignis and Prompto, "Watch my back, gonna make the next part easier." After receiving confirmation from then, she quickly warped onto the ledge and rode that ladder back towards the ground to once again join the fray. Only to spot the incoming Ronin, heading for Noctis' unguarded back.

Moving quickly, she grabbed her katana from the Armiger and blocked the incoming blow. Grunting with effort, she fought to push the blade back. She was so busy with the Ronin she didn't notice that the Necromancer had escaped from Ignis and Prompto only to sneak up on her.

"Eden!" Prompto's voice called out frantically, trying to get her attention to the incoming threat. Just as the Necromancer reached her, her mother's voice rang through her ears; reminding her of her still sleeping power: _In times of desperate need, power will come when you call. _

The next few minutes seemed to happen in slow motion; Eden pushed back the Ronins' blade and spun to where she heard Prompto's call just as the Necromancer struck. Time seemed to freeze as the blade pierced her skin. Prompto's scream alerted the others that something was very wrong and Gladio turned just in time to see the blade go through Eden's stomach.

Eden staggered back in shock, as pain coursed through her body. Then, all of a sudden, the temperature in the room seemed to drop rapidly as her form frosted over. Ice crept up her skin, sealing the wound closed as her skin turned blue. Then her image seems to shatter like shards of glass before her new form was revealed: Ice blue skin, white hair and even lighter glacial blue eyes.

The others just stared in shock, until a roar from the Iron Giant let them know that the fight wasn't over yet. But before they could leap back into action, Eden moved, and a blizzard seemed to follow her as she flew around the last of the daemons, whipping up a tornado of Ice and Snow, before moving to stand at a stunned Noctis' side. What happened next was just as shocking as her transformation; turning to the frozen daemons, Eden snapped her fingers. In response, the frozen statues shattered into tiny fragments, finally destroying them.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Eden reverted to her more human appearance and collapsed. Gladio was quick to catch her as Noctis rushed to her side already pulling out and Elixir and cracking the bottle over her prone form. They watched the potion work its magic as her wounds healed and the Glaive groaned weakly. Ignis moved closer to the trio, "It would be wise to seek out that haven she mentioned, in case more daemons decide to show up."

Gladio nodded and scooped up Eden into his arms. "Shouldn't be too much further ahead- that door she mentioned earlier should be close by now." With Ignis' help, they moved the unconscious woman onto Gladio's back and headed for the ladder that she had lowered earlier. Once up the ladder, they spotted the familiar metal door.

"Should probably just rest here - there's no telling what awaits us inside," Ignis instructed, before moving over to help Gladio lower his unconscious fiance onto the ground. "Let's get that tent set up, that way she'll be able to rest more comfortably."

Noctis nodded grabbing Prompto and moving a few feet away from them and pulling out their camping gear from the Armiger. The pair managed to get the tent set up with little to no trouble and Gladio moved the mage inside onto one of the provided sleeping bags. Ignis grabbed the first aid kit and moved to her side. With Gladio's help, they looked over her wound, finding it slowly healing thanks to both Noctis' magic and the potion itself. Ignis still decided to bind it just to be safe, he left the tent soon after to get a simple meal prepared to leave his patient in the hands of her very worried soulmate.

A few hours later Eden stirred, rousing from unconsciousness. Gladio was the first to notice the small movements, as he had been keeping vigilance over her since he brought her inside. So when Eden opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a worried pair of amber ones.

She smiled up at him, groggily, "Hey."

Gladio returned her smile, "Hey yourself, how ya feelin'?"

"Drained, but feeling a lot better." She moved to sit up, Gladio helping her with an arm across her lower back. She gasped, placing a hand on her stomach when her still healing would pull.

Gladio frowned, "Easy there," he moved closer and pulled her into his arms. "Ya gotta be more careful," he muttered.

Eden sighed, as the Shield's strong arms wrapped around her, she'll never get used to the feeling of home and safety she always found there. Gladio sighed as well as he buried his face in her long hair, shoulders finally relaxing now that she was awake. "I thought I'd lost you," he sighed, tightening his embrace.

Eden reached up to curl an arm around his shoulders in comfort, "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." After a few more moments, their moment was interrupted by the arrival of Ignis.

"So nice to see you awake," he greeted, "how are you feeling?"

Eden turned her attention from her fiance to the advisor, "Drained, but feeling better bit by bit," she answered, honestly.

"That's good to hear," Ignis moved forwards inside the tent, holding out a bowl of what looked like Green Curry Soup. "This should help you replenish the blood and fluids that you lost."

She accepted the bowl gratefully, "Thank you."

He nodded, before taking a seat across from here, "So what exactly happened? I heard Prompto scream the warning..." he trailed off.

Eden looked at her bowl thoughtfully, trying to put into words what happened. "Mom told me when I was younger that I had greater power, like hers, sleeping within me. That when the need for it came, I could call on it." She paused, before continuing, "It's a lot like her Astral form, power included, but what with me still being...well mortal, that there would be a cost."

"That's why you passed out afterward, it drained your magic?"

Eden nodded, "the feeling is a lot like what happens to Noct when he goes into stasis."

Ignis nodded in understanding, "Yes, we've all seen that happen."

"The same applies to me with a lot of my magic. I'm getting better at using the stronger spells, but most of what my mom can do easily is draining for me."

"Well, then we will have to endeavor to make sure you need not use so much of your magic then, won't we?" Ignis suggested.

Eden nodded, just then Prompto and Noctis entered the tent. Prompto grinned at the sight of her, "You're awake!" Both boys made their way forwards, relief painted on their expressions. Eden smiled at them and accepted the hugs they offered, reluctantly pulling out of Gladio's embrace. One they made sure she was okay, the friends returned their attention to the dungeon.

"So once we pass through the door, we follow the path down towards our main goal, right?" Prompto recapped their earlier discussion.

Ignis nodded, "Sounds right?" He then turned towards Eden questionably, "That's where we should find that have you mentioned?"

She nodded, "From what I read, yes."

Ignis nodded, "Then let us head out. I'll start packing up." He left the tent then followed quickly by Prompto after the blonde gave her another of his beaming smiles. She was soon left alone with her fiance and prince, as she made to stand. Gladio hovered nearby as she gingerly pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the ache in her stomach. When her legs wobbled, Gladio was there to steady her, "Easy now. Move more slowly, you're still healing."

She nodded, and after a few moments, she pulled away legs much more stable. Once she was outside, Noctis with help from Prompto took down the tent and stored it and the rest of their gear away. He then turned towards the awaiting metal door and pulled out the key Ezma gave him.

Once inside the lower levels, it wasn't long until they ran into their first obstacle, Voretooth. Avoiding their poisonous bite, the beasts were no match for the comrades. Once they were dead they continued forward, intent on finding a haven before they encountered their main foe.

Most of the creatures they encountered were weak to spears, so with Eden switching to her spear and Noctis following her lead, the Voretooth and Shieldshears stood no chance. Eden staggered, once the last crustacean fell, her energy still recovering from her attack. Ignis was there to both support her and offer her another Elixir, which she accepted gratefully. Once she was steady again, the party continued on their path through the caverns.

Once they managed to get past the Malbodoom, they finally arrived at the haven. Ignis immediately set up his stove to start cooking the party a meal while Noctis and Prompto set up the chairs and sleeping bags, forgoing the tent due to being underground. Eden collapsed into one of the chairs with Gladio coming to a crouch in front of her, "How about you let me take a look at the wound of yours?"

Eden nodded, lifting her shirt and letting Gladio have access to the bindings. He undid the bindings only to find a new scar in place of the sword wound. "Healed right up," he muttered, grinning up at her.

"Yeah," she nodded. She looked up as Prompto approached holding a plate of skewers, "Here ya go," he greeted.

She accepted the plate, "Thanks, Prom." Gladio nodded as well as he took the other one the gunman was holding. After the meal, they checked their gear and curative stock, before calling it a night. Making sure they were as ready as they could be to finish their dungeon calling quest.

A few hours later found our group of friends enjoying a quick breakfast before breaking down camp and heading deeper into the caverns. The next set of tunnels contains a type of Flan that they found was impervious to physical/melee attacks and needed to be killed using magic, which Noctis supplied each of his friends with a flask containing ice magic. Making quick work of the next few floors of enemies, they soon arrived at the last floor of the deep caverns; where their target awaited them.

Right before they entered the final floor of the dungeon, the group made sure to take advantage of the unexpected, but very welcomed, site of another haven. After having a meal of Crispy Croquet's, they took the time to rest up. Ignis, already thinking about the trial up head, turned to Eden, "you said that the beast we face is a Mahanaga, correct?"

She nodded, "Yep, vulnerable to swords, shields, and lightening."

Ignis nodded, before turning to address Noctis, "We should have some lightening flasks ready for me and Prompto to take advantage of any opening, since you, Eden, and Gladio will be doing most of the damage."

The prince nodded, "Sure, I'll get right on those."

Ignis nodded back, "good. With those flasks prepared, we should be ready to take on this snake." The rest of them agreed to the plan. With a few hours of rest in they broke camp and made their way into the final chamber where the Mahanaga awaited them.

The green striped snake rose from the ground in front of the group, Eden called out a warning before joining the fray, "Watch out for her breath, it'll curse you!"

Making sure to keep that in mind the Noctis and Gladio double-teamed her with their blades, making her vulnerable to a flask tossed by Ignis as Prompto and Eden worked on another side of her long slimy form. Each time the Glaive made a successful hit with her katana, Prompto used either his machinery to give her time to get away or tossed his flask when the snake-woman was down. With this successful application of teamwork, the comrades worked her health down, until she finally collapsed and her remains returned to the shadows.

"Whoop, another Menace defeated!" Prompto cheered once the coast was clear. "Only how many left?"

"Six," Eden answered. Prompto whirled around to face her in shock, "According to what I read, we have Keycatrich Trench, Greyshire Glacier Grotto, Fociaugh Hollow, Balouve Mines, Steyliff Grove, and Costlemark Tower." She listed off each one, counting with her fingers.

"Awe man," he moaned shoulders slumping is a disappointment.

Ignis turned to Noctis and asked, "So where to next?"

"We should probably stock up on supplies before we take on any more of these type of dungeons," Noctis answered, "so probably our best bet would be to go to Lestallum and get supplies, then go to Greyshire Grotto."

Ignis agreed, "Sounds like a plan. Now let's get out of here."

The rest of his friends nodded, before turning and heading back the way they came.

***Taken from Final Fantasy Wiki.**


End file.
